On December 6, Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to visit India for the annual summit.
The last time President Putin visited India was for the annual summit in 2018.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit India in the first week of December, with the annual summit between the two countries scheduled for December 6th. The Russian President will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his one-day visit to Delhi. During the visit, a number of agreements are likely to be inked. The summit takes place as India prepares to receive the first batch of S400 air defence systems by the end of the year.
Putin's most recent visit to India was at the annual summit in 2018. Surprisingly, the deal for the S400 system was signed between India and Russia during the visit. The Russian President's visit will be his second and final foreign trip of the year, the first being to Geneva for a summit meeting with US President Joe Biden. Because of the domestic covid situation, he had decided to attend the G20 summit in Italy.
The annual summit was cancelled last year due to the COVID situation. The only two countries with whom India has such an annual summit-level mechanism that alternates between the two countries are Russia and Japan. Until far, 20 Annual Summit meetings have alternated between India and Russia.
PM Modi visited Vladivostok, Russia's far eastern city, in 2019 and was also the Guest of Honour at the 5th Eastern Economic Forum. India then established a $1 billion soft credit line to encourage Indian companies to invest in Russia's growth, particularly in the Far East.
Naturally, the COVID situation will be a major topic of discussion at the summit. Russia's sputnik V vaccine is made in India, and Moscow sent humanitarian aid to New Delhi during the deadly second wave of the covid epidemic. Both countries are involved in Afghanistan, with Russian National Security Advisor (Secretary of the Security Council) Nikolai P. Patrushev visiting Delhi twice since the Taliban seized Kabul in August to discuss the situation.
The relationship's core pillar is defence, with Russia being India's largest defence partner. Among the important projects are the fabrication and co-production of four Project 1135.6 Frigates, the manufacture in India of the assault rifle AK-203 through 100 percent indigenization, extra deliveries of Su-30 MKI and MiG-29s, and additional supplies of MANGO ammunition and VSHORAD systems.
